Warming up
We often get confused about the whys and hows of warming up properly and sometimes even skip it altogether but it is actually very important for improving our dance, and preventing injuries both immediately and long-term. Warming up for bellydancing is also different than warming up for other activities. Let's take a look at why we need to warm up for dance and how we can do this effectively.
There are different reasons to warm up the body for different activities. For example, if you are going to run 10km you will need to get your heart rate up and muscles warm and oxygenated. For yoga, you need to calm your mind even before you move your body. Bellydance uses the joints and muscles in a different way than most of our other activities. We need to lubricate our joints first by moving gently throught our natural range of motion. Think about slowly rotating ankles, knees, hips, shoulders etc. as circular movements are very helpful. Next we want to reduce tension and bring circulation to the muscle you are going to work. At this point you will want to start with gentle, slower movements gradually increase the effort and intensity. Some of my favourites are arm swings and lunges, swaying, and gentle shimmies.
A word of caution - do not stretch cold muscles! More about stretching on the next page.
There are different reasons to warm up the body for different activities. For example, if you are going to run 10km you will need to get your heart rate up and muscles warm and oxygenated. For yoga, you need to calm your mind even before you move your body. Bellydance uses the joints and muscles in a different way than most of our other activities. We need to lubricate our joints first by moving gently throught our natural range of motion. Think about slowly rotating ankles, knees, hips, shoulders etc. as circular movements are very helpful. Next we want to reduce tension and bring circulation to the muscle you are going to work. At this point you will want to start with gentle, slower movements gradually increase the effort and intensity. Some of my favourites are arm swings and lunges, swaying, and gentle shimmies.
A word of caution - do not stretch cold muscles! More about stretching on the next page.